About the Author

These stats and results are drawn from the weekly Distance Running Results mailer compiled by internationally acclaimed athletics statistician Riël Hauman , who has more than 50 years ’ experience as a journalist , author , publisher , commentator , pundit , administrator , event organiser , coach , team manager and runner in South African athletics , road running and cross country . He is also a former editor of the South African Athletics Annual , and author of two books , Hardloop en Lééf and Century of the Marathon 1896-1996 . To subscribe to his weekly newsletter , send him a mail at rielh @ mweb . co . za .

Following the recent SPAR Women ’ s Grand Prix and Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series races in Durban ( on 25 June and 9 July respectively ), there were a few changes to the all-time top 10 lists of South African performers . In the SPAR race , SA 10km and half marathon champion Glenrose Xaba broke 32 minutes for the first time , clocking 31:55 . She had run her previous best of 32:12 in the SPAR Women ’ s Grand Prix race in Ggeberha at the end of May , which had followed shortly on a 32:25 PB in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Gqeberha race at the beginning of April , and her latest PB now makes her the third-fastest South African ever behind Elana Meyer and Colleen de Reuck .

Glenrose Xaba

In the RUN YOUR CITY event in Durban , South African men took all the podium positions , and it was the first time that three South Africans ran sub-28 in the same race on home soil , but the winner was a surprise , with Kabelo Seboko crossing the line first after a furious sprint to narrowly beat Stephen Mokoka and Thabang Mosiako . Seboko ’ s 27:56 improved his personal best from last year ’ s race ( when he was 11th ) by 35 seconds ! This also moved him to sixth on the all-time SA performer list . Mokoka and Mosiako both clocked 27:59 , but Mokoka got the nod for second place , and it is the former SA Record-holder ’ s first sub-28 on home soil .

SA WOMEN ALL-TIME TOP 10

SA MEN ALL-TIME TOP 10

A = Aided Course , therefore not eligible for official record purposes . A = Aided Course , therefore not eligible for official record purposes .

The magnificent World Record of 2:16.8 set by Germany ’ s Lina Radke in the first Olympic 800 metres for women in Amsterdam was overshadowed by the controversy that followed . After the race , several women collapsed on the track from exhaustion , and some had to be given first aid .

International Olympic Committee even favoured eliminating all women ’ s sports from the Olympics ! The ridiculous outcome was that the IAAF actually banned races longer than 200m , and no women ’ s event longer than this was run at the Games for the next 32 years .

The start of the 1928 Olympic women ’ s 800m

Criticism poured in , especially from anti-feminists , who charged that women were not strong enough to run 800m , and that 200m should be the maximum distance they be allowed to race . Doctors were quoted that such “ feats of endurance ” would make women “ old too soon .” The president of the

Radke ’ s 800m record stood until 1944 . When the event was next held in at the Olympics in 1960 , the gold medal was won in 2:04.3 , an indication , if any was needed , of what women were capable of . Today the women ’ s World Record stands at 1:53.28 , and women often race distances way further than 800m !

South African Road List Leaders for 2023 ( As at 31 July 2023 ) This section lists the best South African official performances this year in each of the most popular official road distances .

MEN

WOMEN

30km 1:41:23 William Kaptein Parow , 26 March

42.2km 2:06:42 Stephen Mokoka Osaka , 25 February

50km 2:39:04 Tete Dijana Gqeberha , 26 February

30km 2:09:40 Elmé Middlemost Parow , 26 March

42.2km 2:29:19 Dominique Scott-Efurd London , 23 April

50km 3:07:48i Gerda Steyn Cape Town , 15 April

KEY | a – Aided course , e . g . point-to-point , and therefore not record-legal • i – Time recorded officially during a longer race

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